Webdings: The Misadventures of Machi Tobaye
by SyberiaWinx
Summary: Machi just didn't understand. But that was okay. Thanks to Trucy, nobody else did, either.


"**Webdings"-The Misadventures of Machi Tobaye **

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the game(okay, I do, but you know what I mean).

**Author's Note:** Review or you will make Machi cry…and fangirls will come and murder you in your sleep. But I'm sure you're not afraid, right? O_o

-

**Chapter One**

**Changes for the…Better?**

-

Every so often, a person will get an idea. And just like people, ideas can vary-they can be big or small, they can be helpful or bothersome, and they can be good or bad. Trucy, for instance, had had a big idea last week that she'd refused to tell anyone about. She'd seemed certain it was a good idea, and a helpful one as well. The judge had apparently agreed, since the entire courthouse had been closed down for more than a week to carry it out. Trucy's last big idea had been to learn Borginese, after a case where they'd dealt with a defendant who knew no other language-Machi Tobaye. She'd insisted it would be useful if they ever had another defendant like that. Apollo doubted they ever would, and in the end, it had come to light that Machi actually did know a little English, and he knew the only real reason she wanted to learn was because she thought Lamiroir-a popular singer and Machi's guardian-was cool. Nonetheless, Apollo had given the girl the money to buy a book on the language, and when he learned Machi would be a witness in a case he had recently been assigned to, he actually thought her new skill would come in handy.

Of course, things could never be that easy for him, especially when Trucy was involved. The girl had caught a cold, and though he really needed her help, he had insisted she stay at home. She had tried futilely to persuade him to let her go, as she was eager to finally put her new knowledge to use, and also because it would be the first day the courthouse had been open since the "remodeling", and she was eager to see everyone's reaction to it. She had finally given up, but only after making him promise to get as many opinions on the changes as he could. Apollo had agreed and left for the courthouse.

That had been a bad idea.

He'd noticed Trucy's "changes" the minute he walked into the courthouse, but they didn't really register until he took a walk around the building. He was still pretty new at this business, so he had never actually been anywhere but the entrance, the hallway, the lobby, and the courtroom. Even so, he noticed.

Every sign, every door, everything that should have had normal English writing on it, no longer did. They had been replaced with unfamiliar characters-odd symbols that he could only assume were supposed to be Borginese letters.

Apollo twitched. "What the heck is this supposed to be?"

"My thoughts exactly."

Apollo turned to see Detective Ema Skye standing behind him, loudly munching on a bag of Snackoos and looking none too happy. Not that she ever really looked all that happy to begin with, but that wasn't the point.

"Apparently, someone got it into the judge's head that the courthouse should try and be more accessible to people who spoke Borginese." Ema explained. Apollo had a pretty good idea who that 'someone' was, but he let her continue. "I could care less if he wants to make it 'more accessible' to people who only know Borginese, but why did he have to make it inaccessible to the rest of us in the process?!" She glared Apollo as she said this, and he flinched.

"Hey, I'm just as unhappy with this as you are! Don't look at me like it's my fault!" Although, _he_ was the one who had given Trucy the money to buy that book, so in a way, it kind of _was_ his fault. Ema didn't need to know that though. "Anyway, I need to get to the Defense Lobby. Machi should be waiting for me there. See you later, Ema."

Apollo turned to leave, but quickly realized he'd wandered into an unfamiliar area of the courthouse. He had no idea where he was or how to get to the Defense Lobby. Directions to somewhere were posted up on the wall, but he could not make out where. The words even contained arrows pointing in various directions, so he couldn't even be sure which way they were directing the reader to go. Desperate, he turned to Ema.

She returned the look briefly, then adverted her eyes and munched on a Snackoo. "Don't look at me. I've been trying to find the bathroom for the past forty-five minutes."

Letting out a tortured cry, Apollo fell to his knees. Well, at least Machi must be pretty happy with the new courthouse…right?

-

Around the same time Ema was throwing Snackoos at a defeated Apollo to bring him back to his senses and not for sheer amusement or to vent her outrage, Machi was just arriving at the so-called "new" courthouse. He hadn't wanted to cause Lamiroir any more trouble, so he had politely refused her offer to cancel her plans and escort him, insisting he would be fine alone. Of course, that had been a complete lie.

Machi was shy enough usually, but today he would again be forced to testify, over something that had happened while he was in juvenile detention, no less. And he was especially uncomfortable being in a place where everyone knew who he was and insisted on talking to him, unaware of how shy he was and the fact that he knew very little of the English language.

Shifting nervously, Machi looked around for a sign with directions to the place he was supposed to go. Lamiroir had written it down for him, so he would recognize the words should he see them. That was good, since he had already forgotten how to say them, not that he would have the courage to approach a stranger and do so.

But Machi did not see the words on any of the signs placed around the room-not even on the large map that had been stuck up on the wall. In fact, he didn't recognize _any_ of the characters on it. Knowing he was in trouble, the boy let out a little sigh and said what he believed to be a popular American expression in times of turmoil.

"I very screwed."

-

Elsewhere, Apollo, who had finally recovered-"recovered" in this sense meaning "had begun to get a severe headache from having a cranky detective throwing snacks at him"-was now wandering the hallways alone. He had not managed to find the Defense Lobby, but had managed to find the courtroom. It was empty, but at least from there, he should be able to find his way to the place he wanted to go.

Smiling triumphantly, he left, not realizing in his joy that there where many courtrooms in the large building, only one of which he'd ever actually been in.

-

Unable to read the map or any of the other signs in the room and unwilling to try asking for help, Machi had started to wander around himself. He had been in the Defense Lobby before and was trying to reach it from memory. Unfortunately, he had done his best to forget everything about that trial, so this plan wasn't working.

He felt relieved when he spotted Klavier Gavin walking towards him. Finally, someone he knew who could help him!

"Well, if it isn't Machi." he said with a dazzling smile. "What are you doing, flitting around alone in this dark hallway?"

Machi gave a small, nervous smile. "No idea." He was referring to the question, but not in the way Klavier was thinking. He had no idea what the heck the man had just said to him. Then again, he usually didn't. Still, this was his best chance to ask for help. But he didn't want to address the man wrong. He had never spoken to Klavier directly and had tried to stay away from him and the crowds of squealing girls that usually accompanied him. What about that girl with the funny glasses? What had she called him again?

"Uh…" Machi cleared his throat. "Mister glamorous fop, where Mister Yoostis?"

Klavier was completely caught off-guard. Did that kid just call him a 'glamorous fop'? He quickly realized it must have been a combination of the language barrier and spending way too much time in the presence of one rock star-hating scientist.

"You can just call me Klavier, ja?"

"Klavy-air?" Machi repeated, saying the foreign name as if it were two separate words.

The prosecutor just shrugged. Why worry about it? "You're looking for Herr Forehead, ja? Why don't you try the Defense Lobby?"

Machi frowned, shaking his head. "Got hair. No find Mister Yoostis."

"Ah, you're lost? I wish I could help you, but I'm lost as well." the older man admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. "It seems some good-intended little fraulein wanted to make things easier for you and convinced the judge to change all English in the courthouse to Borginese." He fiddled with his hair, only briefly making eye contact. "Looks like they made a little mistake, ja?"

It was true Machi only knew a little English, but he knew even less German. Actually, he knew _no_ German. As a result, he was busy trying to figure out what kind of mistake the flawed line and the judge had made.

Klavier did not realize this, but it wasn't because he was an airhead. No, he was smart. A smart blond rock star. Really. It's true. Stop laughing.

Finally, Klavier smiled directly at Machi again. He was going to say something, but this sudden movement made the boy jump. Laughing, he apologized.

"Sorry. My smile is quite dazzling, ja? My fangirls say they can hardly see when I flash my smile."

Machi blinked a few times, then shook his head. "No worry. I wearing sunglasses." He suddenly remembered something else the girl with the funny glasses of her own had said when Klavier's smile came up, and shared it with the man. "Detective say smile no blind people if you kept mouth closed more."

It took Klavier a while to understand. When he did, he chuckled lightly and looked away, again playing with his hair. "The Fraulein Detective doesn't seem to like me much, ja?"

Machi shrugged, all the while wondering if the flawed line referred to the girl with the funny glasses and if that meant she was the one who had made the mistake with the judge.

"But enough about her." Klavier smiled at Machi again. "How about I help you find the Defense Lobby, as part of my apology?"

"Apollo?" Machi repeated, recognizing the word. "Apollo Yoostis?"

Realizing it was going to be a long day, Klavier put an arm around the boy's shoulders and led him down the hall.

-

Meanwhile, Trucy was blinking innocently as she held the phone away from her ear. Apollo, who had finally found a phone, was shouting so loud, she could have heard him if the receiver were even a mile away. On her lap was the book she had bought with his money, to help her learn Machi's language. She had gotten it out when Apollo had called suddenly called to ask her about it-it was one of those _For Dummies_ guidebooks.

"Really?" she asked when Apollo paused mid-rant to breathe, looking slightly surprised as she tapped her finger against her chin. "But I thought it was the same thing. That's how it looked when Machi wrote us that nice letter, and I read it on this forum, too..."

"_No, Trucy, I assure you-it's _not_ the same! And even if it was, what are the rest of us supposed to do?!"_

"Um, ask for directions?"

Apollo started ranting again, but this time he was joined by the sound of Ema shouting at him to stop making such noise, followed by Snackoo-violence and Apollo screaming, then the dial tone. As Trucy hung up the phone, her father entered with some juice.

"Daddy!" she chirped, happy that he had come to see her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, handing her the cup.

"I feel fine, but Polly wouldn't let me go with him to court today, and I'm stuck here in bed, too." She pouted. The latter part of that sentence was directed at her father, who had insisted she stay in bed after coming home and learning of her condition. "I'm just lying here, wasting the day away! A young girl like me should be out enjoying her youth!"

Phoenix Wright laughed. "Well, you know what I always say-an experience is never wasted, as long as you've learned something in the end. Have you learned anything today?"

This made Trucy smile brightly. "I have!"

He laughed again. "What was it?"

"I learned that Borginese and Webdings are _not_ the same!"


End file.
